#lightweight

Fuel economy is a top priority and automakers are scrambling to reduce consumption. 

Titanium, it’s both light and strong… and pretty expensive. But the benefits may out-“weight” the tradeoffs for Lotus, as the premium sports-car builder is exploring the dusty silver-hued metal for use in its vehicles.

The sprawling Volkswagen Empire is in the process of consolidating its vehicle architectures. To help quell the industrial chaos Porsche was put in charge of sports-car development, but now it’s reported the next-generation Audi R8 will not share Zuffenhausen’s latest architecture.

The current Audi A4 is one of the few cars on the market to have grown in size and decreased in weight, a smart philosophy in a world where performance and efficiency are now placed on a similar footing. The next-generation A4 is set to go on a crash diet, dropping 300 lbs through the use of composites, aluminum and proprietary engineering techniques.